Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Thursday that the findings of the now-defunct House committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were “embarrassing” for newly elected President Donald Trump prompted his threat of retaliation against its members.
In an interview with CNN’s “The Source,” Kinzinger, one of the Republicans who served on the Jan. 6 panel, said that despite the outrage the president-elect showed toward its work, the commission fulfilled its function.
“I was in the legislature. We conducted research as requested by Congress to do so,” Kinzinger said. “We clearly came up with answers that embarrassed Trump. He was ashamed of it. It showed that he was fully complicit for 187 minutes while violence was taking place.”
Kinzinger expressed indifference to Trump’s recent threat to jail some members of the commission, addressing the president-elect directly: “Sorry to embarrass you, Donald, but that was the truth we were told.”
“Are you threatening to throw us in jail for that?” he asked. “It shows how small you really are. I’m not intimidated. The person who intimidates me the least of anyone in this country is Donald Trump.”
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” broadcast Sunday, Trump falsely claimed that the panel had “removed and destroyed all the evidence” and suggested that some members of the committee “should go to jail.”
In December 2022, the commission released its final report detailing Trump’s efforts to stay in power despite losing the 2020 election. The 845-page document also included recommendations on how to prevent a similar attack on the Capitol riot from happening again, including by enforcing the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding office.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the other Republican serving on the committee, also responded to Trump’s accusations against the panel.
“This is the truth: Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election and seize power,” she said in a statement on Sunday.
“Donald Trump’s suggestion that members of Congress who later investigated his illegal and unconstitutional actions should be jailed is a continuation of his attack on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic,” Cheney continued.
In an interview published Thursday by Time magazine, Trump also talked about his promise to pardon those accused of their role in the insurrection.
“Well, we’re going to look at each individual case, and we’re going to do that very quickly. It starts in the first hour I come into office,” he said. “And a vast majority of them should not be in prison. A large majority should not be in prison, and they have suffered greatly.”
Kinzinger told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins what he thinks Trump is trying to convey with this statement.
“This actually sends a message not only that January 6 was a beautiful day in his eyes,” Kinzinger said. “But I think he’s also sending a message: ‘Look, if you commit violence on my behalf, I will pardon you.’”
“That’s pretty chilling,” he added.
